Leeza Meksin

Leeza Meksin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art at Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP), and also serves as Graduate Faculty in Fiber Science and Apparel Design in the College of Human Ecology. Her interdisciplinary artistic practice bridges painting, installation, textiles, public art, and curation.

Her research and creative work explore intersections between gendered conventions in painting, architecture, and the human body. Key areas include site-specific installation, sculptural painting, textile and fiber art, mixed media, sustainability in art, and queer and feminist perspectives. She employs materials such as neoprene, spandex, construction mesh, and plastics to investigate bodily and architectural forms.

Meksin’s recent artistic projects, such as Turret Tops and Column Squeeze, reflect a consistent focus on architectural forms reimagined through bodily and gendered lenses, utilizing weathering, material transformation, and site responsiveness. These works span public installations and gallery exhibitions, demonstrating a trajectory centered on interdisciplinary, materially rich, and conceptually layered art.

• NYFA/NYSCA Artist Fellowship Grant in Interdisciplinary Work (2021)
• Emerging Artist Grant, Rema Hort Mann Foundation (2015)
• Artist residency at The Chinati Foundation (2019)
• Columbia University Provost's Grant (2019–2020)
• The Coby Foundation Grant (2018)
• Platform Commission Grant, deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum (2018)
• The Artist Choice Award, Ruth Arts Foundation (2023)

Meksin co-founded and co-directs Ortega y Gasset Projects (OyG), an artist-run gallery and curatorial collective in Brooklyn, supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation, NEA, and NYSCA/NYFA. Her curatorial work has been reviewed in major art publications. She previously taught at Columbia University School of the Arts (2015–2021), where she directed the Graduate Visual Arts Program and led the New Genres concentration.

She has led significant projects such as Turret Tops, funded by institutional and university grants, indicating strong engagement with research funding and collaborative fabrication. Her work has been featured in Bomb, The Brooklyn Rail, The New York Times, and other prominent outlets.

Meksin is a core member of Ortega y Gasset Projects, which functions as both a gallery and curatorial platform, fostering community and artist support. Her academic and artistic labs involve collaborative fabrication, material experimentation, and public engagement through installations.